MORE tree felling by Network Rail has angered neighbours living by a railway line.

The clearance last week of hundreds of trees and bushes on the southern embankment near South-end East railway station infuriated residents in Ambleside Drive, South-end.

Now, similar work on the northern side has been criticised by people living in Riviera Drive, who are concerned about the damage to vegetation and animal life. They also said they were not informed beforehand.

Tina Hall, of Riviera Drive, said: "It's just very sad.

"There are cherry trees and blossoms growing there, but they've just taken them all down.

"I can understand them cutting back some of the trees, but they have got rid of the saplings and everything. It looks like devastation. It's completely back to bare earth.

"We're annoyed about what's going on. Until the work started this morning, we knew nothing about it and have heard nothing from Network Rail."

Neighbours said they had spotted various animal species living in the undergrowth, including badgers, foxes, squirrels, woodpeckers and bats.

A Network Rail spokeswoman, who refused to give her name, said: "It is essential we cut back vegetation to ensure the safe and reliable running of the railway.

"The trees behind Riviera Drive are being removed as they were growing into the overhead lines, posing a direct safety risk.

"An assessment is carried out by experts before clearance work is undertaken and only vegetation which is a health and safety risk to the railway is removed." She said the company was looking into residents' complaints they had not been informed about the work beforehand.